After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

The author himself has no knowledge of medicine or medical theory, so the parts about treating illnesses and saving lives may differ somewhat from reality.

……

"Dr. Gu! Help! My leg has been cut by a chainsaw!"

The roar of the Jiefang truck at the alley entrance hadn't completely dissipated when the shout abruptly cleaved through the heat in the courtyard.

The clinic, which had just been filled with the whirring of fans and the chirping of cicadas, was instantly thrown into chaos.

Four men carried a door panel through the door, their feet covered in dirt, and they almost knocked the threshold askew.

A lumberjack lay on the door panel, his face ashen, his lips purple, and his right leg covered in blood from the outside of his thigh to his knee.

The trouser leg was roughly torn open, the strip of cloth hanging by the side of the leg. The laceration was long and deep, the flesh was rolled up, the edges were covered with wood chips, and half of the white bone was exposed in the blood, which was shocking.

"The saw blade broke over at the lumberyard! It bit right into something!" The leader was covered in sweat, his voice trembling. "Dr. Gu, please save Old Zhao! He has two children at home!"

Lin Qingqing had just come out from the back room, still holding an enamel tray in her hand.

The moment she looked up, she saw that leg. Her chest tightened, her legs went weak, and the plate clattered against the corner of the table, almost slipping from her grasp.

The hot, pungent smell of blood hit me, shoving right into my throat.

Her face paled instantly, her fingers froze in mid-air, her knuckles trembling, and her legs shook uncontrollably.

Gu Qiangying strode to the treatment bed, her voice cold and harsh, like the back of a knife striking a wooden board: "Shut up! Lay him flat on the treatment bed! You press his shoulders, you press his calves, you go to the door and chase away the onlookers, don't block the door!"

The group was stunned by his shout; they were still flustered, but dared not make any further mistakes.

Some people quickly cleared the bed, some moved stools to block the door, and some wiped their sweat and held the injured person down tightly.

Gu Qiangying bent down, pressing the heel of his hand against the pulsating femoral artery. He glanced down at the wound, his eyes turning cold and menacing. Without looking up, he said sternly, "Qingqing...go get the hemostat and anesthetic!"

The sound was like a hook, forcefully pulling Lin Qingqing back from her fear.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and ran towards the medicine cabinet.

The drawer was pulled open with a "whoosh," and rows of bottles and jars inside rattled.

Her hand trembled slightly, her fingertips making a soft sound as they touched the metal instruments. The next second, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to steady herself: hemostats, needle pack, dry gauze, alcohol swabs, anesthetic powder, iodine, saline solution—she picked them all up and rushed back home without missing a single item.

"Give me."

Gu Qiangying took the hemostat without looking up, her voice quick and steady: "Mix the anesthetic powder with warm water, half a bowl. Prepare the iodine and saline solution. Be quick."

"it is good."

Lin Qingqing responded, but her feet remained steady.

She poured the anesthetic into warm water, quickly stirred it with chopsticks, and fed it to the lumberjack by the back of his neck.

The man's jaw was chattering in pain, veins were bulging on his forehead, and his breathing was rough and rapid. His eyes darted around as he looked for Gu Qiangying: "Dr. Gu... is it possible that my leg can't be saved...?"

"Only if your life is saved can we talk about your leg." Gu Qiang spoke rapidly in English while his hands continued moving. "Shut up now, save your energy."

A fellow worker standing nearby had red eyes and a voice trembling with tears: "Dr. Gu, the bleeding won't stop..."

"I can see him." Gu Qiangying coldly swept her gaze over. "If you want to help, do as I say. If you don't want to help, get out. Every time you loosen your grip, he bleeds more. Do you understand?"

The man, startled by the stare, nodded repeatedly, "Understood! Understood!"

Gu Qiangying picked up the long needle, took a deep breath, first pierced the Chongmen point, then the Jimen point, twisted her wrist, and the end of the needle trembled slightly.

The second needle goes to Xuehai (SP10), and the third needle goes to Liangqiu (ST24). The needles are applied quickly, accurately, and forcefully, with almost no pause.

The blood was still seeping, but the initial outflow had visibly slowed down, as if it had been severely blocked by something.

Among the onlookers by the door, someone gasped and muttered in a low voice, "This...this is how they managed to suppress the major pulse?"

Gu Qiangying ignored her and said directly, "Qingqing, take a shower."

"it is good."

Lin Qingqing picked up the saline solution and slowly rinsed it along the outer edge of the wound.

The blood-stained water dripped down the bed frame and into the enamel basin, the sound of dripping echoing in my ears and sending chills down my spine.

Her stomach churned violently, and she turned her head to gag briefly. Her throat felt sore, but she immediately turned back.

Gu Qiangying seemed to have anticipated her discomfort, and her voice was slightly lower than before: "Don't stare at the wound, stare at my hand."

Lin Qingqing pursed her lips, nodded, and stared intently at his hand.

Those hands were so steady they were almost cold.

He deftly and cleanly applied pressure to stop the bleeding, cleaned the wound, and trimmed away contaminated edges, his movements swift and efficient, without a single wasted effort. The medical scissors seemed to come alive in his fingers—fast, yet disciplined; ruthless, yet always measured.

"Wire."

"Here it is."

"Curved scissors".

"Give."

"Two more pieces of dry gauze, please."

"it is good."

As they went back and forth, the rhythm became smoother and smoother.

Gu Qiangying spoke a word, and she took a step; the moment he reached out his hand, the equipment was already at his fingertips.

She gradually suppressed the panic she had felt earlier, replacing it with an intense focus.

The injured man struggled violently twice in pain, causing the wooden bed to shake and nearly spilling the bloody water in the basin. Gu Qiangying raised her eyes, her tone low, but her imposing presence was terrifying: "Hold him down. Whoever lets go will bear the consequences."

The workers immediately stopped breathing heavily, gritted their teeth and held the man down tightly, the veins on the back of their hands bulging.

Gu Qiangying continued to suture with her head down.

The inner layer is joined first, then the outer layer is closed. The needle and thread pierce through the skin and flesh at a speed as fast as sewing a sack, yet every stitch is precisely placed.

The open wound was gradually pulled back together, and the blood seeped out more and more slowly, until finally only a thin line remained.

Lin Qingqing handed him a towel to wipe his sweat, and when the back of her finger accidentally touched his temple, she realized that the muscles there were taut and stiff, and even his breathing was heavy.

Gu Qiangying glanced at her sideways and said only briefly, "Your hands aren't shaking anymore, continue."

Lin Qingqing's throat tightened, and she didn't say anything. She just quickly pushed the new gauze to his side, her movements faster and more precise than before.

After tying the last knot, Gu Qiangying cut the thread, applied pressure, and wrapped the bandage tightly around to secure it.

After he finished, he checked the pulse, looked at the pupils, and listened to the breathing to make sure the person was still conscious and had a strong pulse. Only then did he straighten up and say in a steady voice, "Alright, get out of danger first."

The people around the bed looked as if their bones had been removed at the same time. Their legs went weak and they almost sat down on the ground. Sweat poured down their foreheads, but no one bothered to wipe it away.

The woman who had been waiting outside rushed in. Seeing that her husband was still alive, tears streamed down her face, and she was about to kneel down on the ground: "Dr. Gu! Dr. Gu, thank you! I'll kowtow to you..."

Gu Qiangying grabbed the person and frowned: "Don't kneel. Go and borrow a cart right now and take him to the county hospital for further cleaning and infection control."

Call him every ten minutes on the road, make sure he doesn't pass out. If anyone has a bicycle, go ahead and notify the hospital to prepare to pick him up.

"Okay, okay, okay, we'll go right now!" The woman cried and wiped away her tears, responding repeatedly, her voice cracking.

Gu Qiangying turned back to the table, picked up her pen, and began to write, the pen tip moving swiftly across the paper. She quickly completed the two-page treatment form and referral slip, then handed it to the woman: "Follow this. When you get to the county hospital, first say 'chainsaw injury, bleeding stopped and stitched,' don't omit any words."

The woman nodded hurriedly, then pulled a wad of crumpled banknotes from her clothes, her hands trembling violently: "Dr. Gu, the medical expenses... we'll pay this first, and if it's not enough, I'll make more when I get back. Please don't think it's too little..."

"That's enough, save lives first." Gu Qiangying took the money and handed it to Lin Qingqing, "Make a note of it."

"Um."

Lin Qingqing's fingertips trembled slightly as she picked up the pen. She gritted her teeth and meticulously recorded the amounts, medications, and equipment consumption, writing more slowly than usual, but without making any mistakes.

The woman wiped away her tears while repeatedly thanking her, "Thank you, young lady, thank you so much..."

"Send them away first," Gu Qiangying interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We can talk about thanking them later."

Everyone then came to their senses and hurriedly lifted the person back onto the door panel before rushing outside.

The cart was quickly pushed to the door, its wooden wheels crunching on the dirt road as it went further and further away.

Gu Qiangying glanced at the crowd gathered at the door and said coldly, "Now that you've finished seeing the patients, go home and get back to work. Don't block the door."

The onlookers, embarrassed by his words, exchanged glances and dispersed in twos and threes. The alleyway emptied again, leaving only the hot wind carrying dust, blowing across the threshold.

The clinic suddenly became excessively quiet, so quiet that you could hear the soft patter of a tap that wasn't turned off properly.

Lin Qingqing put the pen back on the table and went to clean up the blood-stained gauze on the floor.

She had just taken a step when it felt as if all the strength had been drained from her legs. Her knees buckled, and she slumped back into the chair.

When her back touched the wooden chair, she realized that her whole body was shaking.

It wasn't just a slight tremor; my wrists, fingertips, knees, and even my teeth were trembling slightly.

She reached for the enamel mug, intending to sip some water to calm herself down. The moment the rim touched her lips, most of the water spilled out, dripping down the back of her hand and onto her sleeve, leaving a cold, damp stain.

Gu Qiangying didn't come over immediately.

He first soaked each used needle in disinfectant, counted the number of instruments, and closed the medicine bottle after confirming that everything was correct. Then he wiped away the bloodstains splattered around the treatment bed and separated the blood-stained gauze into bags. His movements were meticulous and precise, leaving no room for error.

After doing all that, he walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and washed the blood off his hands inch by inch. The red blood seeped through his fingers as the water washed away, swirling and flowing into the drain.

The first wash left a faint red tinge, the second only a light pink, and it wasn't until the third wash that the skin regained its almost jade-like whiteness.

He turned off the water, shook his hands dry, and turned around to walk in front of Lin Qingqing.

Without saying anything more, he bent down, picked the person up from the chair, and gently pulled them into his arms.

He placed his palm on her back, gently and steadily stroking her back, like stroking the fur of a frightened little animal.

His voice was low, almost touching her earlobe: "Don't be afraid anymore. Qingqing, you did a great job."

As soon as those words were spoken, the string that had been taut in Lin Qingqing's chest snapped.

She gripped his white coat tightly, tears streaming down her face, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed.

"I...I really thought he was going to die here..." Her voice was hoarse and broken. "There was so much blood, my hands wouldn't obey me..."

"But you didn't run away." Gu Qiangying hugged her tighter, his tone still steady, but with a rare softness. "You took whatever I wanted, without making a mistake or losing your rhythm. Anyone else would have panicked by now."